‘Pool deserts’: Some Sydney residents wait up to seven years for a swim

The shuttered pools are concentrated in north-west, south-west and western Sydney, where residents far from beaches or ocean pools have few alternatives. In south Sydney, Kogarah War Memorial Pool at Carss Park closed in 2019 after old pipes were found leaking into waterways and is not due to reopen until late 2027, a wait of more than seven years.

Many of the affected pools were built in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s and are reaching the end of their lifespans. About 40 per cent of the nation’s public pools will need replacement in the next decade. The nonprofit’s chief executive Justin Scarr said extended closures break the chain of swimming education, with school bookings and swimming club memberships at risk of not returning.

Scarr noted a disparity between coastal suburbs “spoiled for choice” and western Sydney, where closing a pool leaves few other options. The City of Sydney operates six pools open year-round, while Hills Shire’s 222,675 residents share a single public pool. In Ryde and Parramatta councils there is about one pool per 140,000 residents. Many outer-suburban pools also close for winter or have shorter hours.

Georges River councillor Natalie Mort, whose grandchildren are four and six, drives to Sutherland pool in a neighbouring council area to take them swimming. “Unless you’re a passionate parent, and you really want to get your kids to have the life-saving skill of swimming, you’re really at a loss, aren’t you?” she said. “You have to make it easy for parents to have a facility that’s reasonably close by.”

Mayor Elise Borg described rebuilding Carss Park pool as the “most divisive issue” faced by the council and pointed to a Sydney-wide trend of councils reluctant to embark on redevelopments because of soaring construction costs, project complexities and high ongoing maintenance costs. The new $62 million pool is jointly funded by the council and state government.

Other troubled projects include Willoughby Leisure Centre, shut in November 2022 and overrun by delays and a $26 million cost blowout. The council significantly revised plans after discovering widespread asbestos and inadequate supporting piers. In south-west Sydney, the $70 million Canterbury Leisure and Aquatic Centre reopened on Saturday after missing its scheduled ribbon-cutting in 2025. It closed to residents more than three years ago in 2023 and is $25 million over its original $45 million budget.

Blacktown mayor Brad Bunting, who is president of the Western Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils, said extreme summer temperatures in the city’s west made improving pool access “even more pressing”. “We need pools that keep pace with population growth. That means upgrading older facilities and planning for pools within reach of our newer suburbs. Extreme heat makes that need more pressing,” he said.

Cumberland Council mayor Joseph Rahme, whose council is finishing an $18 million renovation of Guildford pool, said the disparity in infrastructure concerned him greatly. “Our residents and kids of future generations shouldn’t have to leave our local government area to go to places like Bondi or the Bay Run, they should have those facilities here,” he said.

Royal Life Saving Society chief operating officer RJ Houston said cash-strapped councils could rarely deliver projects on time and budget due to rising construction costs and planning delays. He suggested building pools at a regional level across council boundaries to cut costs and reduce duplication. “The current model is not sustainable, it’s breaking already. For many councils, this is the only pool that they have worked on in the last 30 to 40 years,” he said.